JESSUP, Pa. — Jessup's St. Ubaldo Festival is usually held on the Saturday of Memorial Day Weekend. It always draws in thousands of people, and the main event is, of course, always the race.
But in 2013, a new St. Ubaldo tradition was born. That is when the borough in Lackawanna County received a life-size statue of the patron saint. It is an exact replica of the one in Jessup's sister city, Gubbio, Italy.
"Process with him backwards through the race route, so the townspeople know to get ready that la Corsa dei Ceri is going to start," explained St. Ubaldo Society Vice President Michael Cappellini.
Officials with the festival in Gubbio, Italy, created and donated the statue to the St. Ubaldo Society in Jessup in 2013.
"Everything on that statue and really everything we have within our festival is made from incredible love, passion, and devotion to our patron St. Ubaldo," Cappellini said.
The Italian artist responsible for the golden arches around the statue is Marcello Minelli. He passed away this weekend.
"When he did this statue, he was around 88, 87, or 88 years old, and he carved it by hand."
The statue remains in the chapel in Jessup all year long. It is only removed on St. Ubaldo Day in May. The names of the artists in Gubbio who worked on it are listed on the back, and Marcello Minelli's signature is also there; he signed the arches he created.
"You'll see pictures of him with his chisel just so enthralled in the work that he's doing, and the beautiful thing about this, Marcello may be gone here, but every year in Jessup moving forward, we'll carry a piece of him with us," Cappellini said.
The festival is canceled again this year, but members of the St. Ubaldo Society say they will honor Minelli next year and every year after that.
"That's the biggest thing about dei Ceri. It's to honor none other than St. Ubaldo, but it's also to honor, of course, his teachings that he had throughout his life and to honor those that are no longer with us. That's the biggest thing, the most beautiful thing about Festa dei Ceri is it is symbolic of life."
Marcello Minelli was 96 years old.